Medical Cannabis Users Complain of Shortages, Delays

Medical cannabis users are complaining of persistent product shortages and ongoing shipment delays since the drug became legal for recreational use.

“The bigger strains that I use… are not available,” medical user Clayton Goodwin told CTV News. “I check my licensed producer on the daily and the strains that I need — because it’s strain-specific to my injuries — are not available or disappear quickly.”

“It allows both my mental health and pain levels to live — you live a normal life,” he explained. “I’m not running around, as they say, ‘high’… This is CBD, non-psychoactive.”

While recreational cannabis users can shop around, medical users are somewhat more limited as they can only buy marijuana products from specific licensed producers if they want their health insurance to cover it. When their preferred strain or product is not available, they are simply out of luck.

Health Canada admits that there have been localized shortages since legalization went into effect on Oct. 17 and it expects them to continue for months. Overwhelmed distributors and rotating Canada Post strikes have also led to shipment delays.